Ms SPENCE (Yuroke—Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Community Sport, Minister for Youth) (11:30): Today I rise to highlight the important recognition of culturally and linguistically diverse Victorians in the final report of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. For multicultural communities the royal commission has confirmed what many people have known for a very long time—that our mental health system is not appropriately accessible or culturally responsive for people from migrant and refugee backgrounds, resulting in fewer members of our multicultural communities accessing these critical services.

Accessing and using the mental health system can be an alienating experience for many people from migrant and refugee backgrounds, with the end result that many receive suboptimal mental health care. The final report recommends an integrated system with community at its heart, a system that promotes inclusion and addresses inequality. This means ensuring mental health services are available and accessible for all Victorians, regardless of language, cultural background or religion. Of particular note, the royal commission recommends the development of digital technologies that support the delivery of language services. This will help to overcome language barriers to accessing critical services and better support our most vulnerable communities, including newly arrived migrants.

Priority is also given in the final report to lived experience as a core principle that the system is working at its best. This means putting all Victorians, including our diverse communities, at the centre of mental health service design and delivery. The royal commission found that the current mental health system does not deliver safe, responsive or inclusive care for many people from diverse communities. The recommendations in this report, all of which this government has committed to implementing, will change that to ensure better outcomes for all Victorians, including our multicultural communities.